I came across this old photo from 2 years ago when I lived in Edinburgh and both me and my partner had a mini.
http://www.weevel.com/photos/mini_photos/P7180002.JPG

We were able to fit both into one (admittedly large) parking space in the basement car park at my block of flats. Made me think of asking you guys if you have any good mini parking stories....

I have another to get it started - We drove the red one in this picture to Prague in June 2004 and we arrived late at night and the posh hotel we ended up staying at said it was OK if we parked out front but we'd have to put the car away to their parking garage the next morning for 20 euros per day.

When we got up the next morning and spoke to reception to tell them that we just wanted to get some stuff out of the car and then we would move it - they replied that the management thought that it looked really cute out the front of the hotel and that we could leave it there for free and that the doormen would keep an eye on it for us!!

When I had my Mini in the late 60's I and my mate were in the Army Reserves(CMF) One night before a parade we had a Church Youth Group planning meeting in the city which was opposite the old Queen Victoria Hospital. While in the meeting visitors hours had started and running late for parade we came out to find the Mini had been double parked in. In fact the whole steert had a double row of parked cars. The gutter was a deep blue stone affair but with my mate lifting and the help of the front wheel drive we managed to get it up onto the foot path. With a crowd of onlookers cheering we reversed down the footpath to a Hospital drive and out onto the road. Would have loved to have seen the look on the face of the guy who had parked us in when he came back to his car.

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

One time at Carousel (in Perth) i went the wrong way up a one-way section of the car park and did about a 225 degree turn to park in the angular parking that was facing in the other direction. It was a perfect parking too, i didn't need to straighten up or anything and i parked right next to another mini

another time i pulled up to do a reverse park, but i was near a traffic light. a taxi pulled up behind me - he must have thought i was just stopped at the lights. I managed to squeeze through the gap between him and the parked car and get into the bay anyway, then my three mates that were in the car started cheering as we got out and the taxi driver gave me a thumbs up

it's not really a parking storey but i think it would go in this thread...

My old Mini had bad brakes that needed to be pumped a good couple of times before they would work My ex BF would drive the car like a loony even though the brakes were like this anyways...

One day we were in the left lane but on the right side of the lane if that makes sense driving down the road behind a van. There was a van in the right lane next to us too. The van in front of us only had the left hand brake light working but as we were sitting on the right hand side of the left lane we didn't notice that he was braking until the last second and of course because of the bad brakes we had to pump them. Now there was no way the mini was gonna stop in time and we looked like we were gonna be going up this guys butt, but instead my ex went straight down the middle of both lanes between the two vans on the white line. There was, no bull, like an inch gap on either side of the Mini and the guy in the van to the right was looking down at the roof like WTF? We booted off when the lights turned green - It was absolutely classic but very scary at the same time and the Mini and van came unscathed

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The great thing about living in a small city, when you don't know what your doing - Someone else always does!

Watch out! - Adelaide's Pocket Rocket - Coming soon! (and it's just the start) Thanks to Brickworx (good things come in small packages)

myself and two mates lifted my mini into a very very tight park on a saturday night out to the applause of onlookers

Being very careful but tempted with the topic, won't be too long before this topic heads south rather quickly! I will keep it clean and on topic.

Fun parking story being late night movies and afterwards with a large unoccupied car park area at my disposal, trying over and over to perfect the handbrake park, haeps of fun had that night!

And the usual big brother and tough mates moving the mini around in garage area to make me do the Austin Powers three point turn and not good when running late for work!

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Owner: 77 Clubbie
Motor: 1415cc Madmatt Stroker motor
Bodywork: Work in progress
Interior: OK no mods not even a radio, yet!
Pictures will follow, eventually!

Another one - the first Mini I ever knew about was owned by a Master at school (Wesley College Melb) The school has a row of columns across the front and a Mini fits EXACTLY between them


It had to go there when we couldn't get it around the bend in the stair well

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

It is the late seventies Sydney airport when the parking spots were still outside the terminal so 2 mk2 ses park bumper to bumper within the one parking spot , only needed to feed the one meter! smiles all round from passengers and airport staff.

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That's why it's good to be.............ME

Dates back to my Uni days......always difficult to get a parking spot ... but at one of the closest car parks was a spot with a tree planted in it - this left enough space for a mini between it and the curb....

So for several months I was able to squeeze past the tree and car in the next spot into this space.... luckily never once was parked in.... than an Alfasud starting stealing my spot and we had a few duels to get the spot. They then turned it into Staff Carpark - and it was never used again.

... Also somewhere or other I have a photo from our Round Australia trip ... we parked the mini UNDER a gold mining dump truck at the Newman museum.... only shade to be found... never mind looked good!

my wife says their is no way she would go parking in a mini

back when i used to do pizza delivery when i first got the mini and the brakes were stuffed i was reversing a a block of units carpark and well the brakes failed and i ended up stuck as u can see it was sitting on the subframe behind the wheel
i had to call a mate to come and give me a hand to lift it off

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1978 NUGGET GOLD 1275 LS

Not really a parking story, but when I was driving, there was two lanes leading up to a traffic light intersection. There also a turning lane to go left, and a turning lane to go right, as well as one of those bike lane things on the left hand side of the road. I needed to turn left, but the cars were all banked up at the traffic lights, so i drove up the bike lane, using a bit of the left lane too, and went into the turning lane, then kept driving. It was really funny because no-one else behind me could get through the gap, so they all had to wait.


Another time at a petrol station, there were 4 bowsers (two in a row on each side), with two lanes between and they were all full. Someone was already waiting for the cars to move so they could get fuel and I arrived after them. One of the front cars left, and the other guy that was already waiting didn't move, because he couldn't get to the bowser, so I drove between the back two cars and stopped in front of them to get fuel. The look on the other guy's face was priceless

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Before you judge someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you judge them, you are a mile away and you have their shoes.

heres the picture two rice burners (one mx5 and a early silvia) parked out the front of a mates give him the beep beep as i go past his mate yells out something derogitory bout my brick ..... i go to the shop get a pack of cigs and come back to mates place gauge it hit about 60 rip up hand brake turn power op lock clutch and stop between two ricers both owners in horror that some loon nearly took out there fully sic cars with his shitta brick .... i'm in histerics and my mate joe is rolling around the front lawn rolfhao ...... they are all mouthy i step out (i'm not a big guy bout 5'9 ) and walk ova and say what did you say bout my car .....
they shutup
it's funny i had at least a foot front and back ..... shame i still did not have my val woulda just crushed them both ....
makka

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Anonymous moderation means the agro that is built up towards the mods isn't aimed at an individual (fewer "Makk" attacks). Less stress for mods means less moderator "retirements".

Makka, I laughed so hard just reading that. I can just see it! hahhaha! I gotta learn how to drive like that

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Jonathan
http://photobucket.com/albums/y64/FatMaserati/

Her name was Nardia and it was the front seat, near BalckRock in Melbourne.